The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring client use of and interaction with a resource downloaded from a server on a computer network, for storing monitored data, for creating a database including profiles indexed by user and/or resource identity, and for generating customized resources based upon client profiles.
The development of software packages designed to permit simplified graphical user interface (GUI)-based access to the wealth of electronic information available over the Internet and the World Wide Web has lead to a dramatic increase in the amount of information that is currently available over public computer networks. Unlike the highly controlled atmosphere of a private computer network, however, it is difficult to monitor user interaction with network resources on public networks. As a result, it is difficult for individual servers on a public network to determine how long individual users have interacted with their resources, or how much information has been downloaded. It is equally difficult for individual servers to target specialized information to a particular audience or to learn the identity of individual users on a public network.
The techniques utilized in many private networks for monitoring client use and interaction do not lend themselves to public networks. For example, user access to a server in private networks is generally obtained through the use of a unique identification number provided by the server. Details of individual user interaction with the network are closely monitored by server-resident processes, and historic databases are automatically generated and continually updated to track the nature and amount of information accessed by individual users, as well as their connection time. This information is generally used, for example, to maintain a subscriber-indexed billing database.
In a public computer network, however, use of server-resident monitoring techniques may be severely limited. In some public networks, subscribers are given unlimited access, via a service provider, to a virtually unlimited number of servers, and no permanent connection is usually made between these servers and a client machine. The nature and amount of information downloaded by individual users is not easily monitored for each client machine and only limited information concerning individual user interaction with the network may generally be captured by a server (i.e., so-called network ID and client ID).
Due largely to the lack of advanced monitoring techniques available to individual servers on a public network, the same information is generally served out to all clients on a completely untargeted basis. In other words, the same information is generally downloaded to all users that access a particular resource on a server, irrespective of individual user interests. There is therefore a need to provide servers on a public network with the ability to automatically monitor use of and interaction with resources downloaded by users so as to facilitate the targeted serving of information.
While various methods are known for obtaining information concerning user preferences, no such methods are automatic. For instance, one application, known as a xe2x80x9ccustomizable home pagexe2x80x9d, permits users, upon the request of a server, to make certain choices. When a user who has done so contacts that server at a later date, the server assembles information for downloading to the user in accordance with the previously-selected choices. More specifically, the user visits a so-called xe2x80x9cWeb pagexe2x80x9d of a particular server where he or she is asked to fill in a blank form by selecting various preferences, such as links to favorite Web sites, interests in entertainment, sports, and the like. The user then submits this information to the server by clicking the so-called xe2x80x9csubmitxe2x80x9d button of the fill-in form, which causes the client to transmit the information to the server. The server returns a Web page with a response header which creates, or xe2x80x9csetsxe2x80x9d an ID field located in a file on the client computer (this file is known as the xe2x80x9cclient IDxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccookiexe2x80x9d) to include information about the user""s preferences. When the user later returns to a specified Uniform Resource Locator, or xe2x80x9cURLxe2x80x9d, on the same server, the xe2x80x9cclient IDxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccookiexe2x80x9d with the previously-set preference information is transmitted in the HTTP request header to the server, which can then return a Web page that is assembled according to the user-specific information. This application is disclosed, for example, in A. Gundavaram, CGI Programming on the World Wide Web, O""Reilly Press, 1996.
While the xe2x80x9ccustomizable home pagexe2x80x9d facilitates the serving of information on a limited targeted basis, it does not provide for the automatic determination of user interests, and inconveniences the user by requesting that he or she specify various preferences. Moreover, use of a customizable home page is limited to individual Web sites and can not be xe2x80x9cspread outxe2x80x9d over multiple resources on different servers. In other words, while a customizable home page may be of use with respect to the particular resources located on a single server, it does not serve any purpose for other servers on a public network. A variation of this technique is used by some servers to download executable programs. For instance, one such application disclosed by G. Cornell and C. S. Horstmann, in Core Java, The SunSoft Press, 1996, involves the generation of xe2x80x9corder formsxe2x80x9d on client computers. In this application, the client machine loads a Web page from a server which has an embedded link to an executable program that downloads to and executes on the client machine. Upon execution in the client machine, the program contacts the server and retrieves a list of goods and associated prices. The program allows the user to order various goods and requires the user to fill out a form for billing purposes. The user xe2x80x9cclicksxe2x80x9d on the submit button of the fill-in form to transmit the information to the server. Like the customizable home page, this method of user-specific data acquisition requires the active participation of the user, and does not provide for the automatic determination of user preferences and interests.
In addition to the inability to serve out information on a targeted basis, which is of enormous concern from a marketing standpoint, the limited monitoring capabilities available to individual servers makes it difficult for servers and administrators to determine how long users have viewed their resources and how much information has been downloaded by individual users so as to be able to bill client use and interaction with network resources and to analyze the value and effectiveness of such resources. As a result, much of the information provided by a server over a public network is the same for all clients. In addition, while it is currently possible to track a user""s links within the same resource, there is no standard way to track user""s links across multiple resources on different servers. For example, a common occurrence in public networks is when a user is viewing a first resource and xe2x80x9cclicks onxe2x80x9d a link to a second resource located on a different server. In such instances, the second resource is downloaded and the first resource is either discarded or held in background. However, there is generally no uniform way in which to monitor such occurrences. In addition, while it is currently possible to track the number of times a particular resource has been accessed, it has generally not been possible to track the length of time a particular resource has been viewed by a particular user. There is also a great deal of other valuable information concerning user interaction with a resource which would be useful to administrators, advertisers, marketing professionals and the like, but which can not be conveniently collected using current monitoring techniques.
For example, one of the largest public networks, the xe2x80x9cInternetxe2x80x9d, has become an extremely popular advertising tool. Many companies have their own Internet xe2x80x9cWeb sitesxe2x80x9d and have also purchased advertising space within more popular Web sites of other companies. For instance, many advertisers purchase so-called xe2x80x9cadvertising bannerxe2x80x9d (or xe2x80x9cad bannerxe2x80x9d) space within the Web page of a popular site, thereby allowing consumers to xe2x80x9cclick-throughxe2x80x9d (i.e., specify a link) to the Web site of the advertiser. In many cases, the use of an ad banner substantially increases the advertiser""s exposure. Using the limited monitoring techniques available to Internet servers, however, it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of individual Web sites and ad banners. For instance, known monitoring techniques are generally limited to determining the number of times a Web page was downloaded. Similar techniques are used to determine the number of times an ad banner (which is embedded inside a Web page) has been displayed, and how many times the banner was xe2x80x9cclickedxe2x80x9d on to visit the Web site of the advertiser.
Generally, an ad banner is embedded inside a Web page located on a first server through the use of the known HTML  less than IMG greater than  tag. When a client machine passes a TCP/IP request for the Web page to the first server, the Web page is downloaded to the client, including the ad banner embedded using the  less than IMG greater than  tag. The  less than IMG greater than  tag is used to reference a resource (i.e., the xe2x80x9cad bannerxe2x80x9d) stored on the same or a different server which captures the user""s ID (via the HTTP request header) and dynamically returns an ad related image to the client for display within the Web page. At the same time, a counter representing the number of times the specific ad has been displayed is incremented. The ad banner itself may have an embedded address referring to yet another Web resource. In such an instance, if the user xe2x80x9cclicksxe2x80x9d on the ad banner, the client may load a resource on the second server which once again captures the user""s ID and forwards the user to a Web resource which is appropriate for the displayed ad (for example, a page on the advertiser""s Web site). At the same time, a counter representing the number of times the specific ad was clicked on to go to the advertiser""s Web site is incremented.
While Web sites and ad banners have, in some cases, been valuable marketing tools, the limited monitoring capabilities available to servers on networks in which no permanent connection is made between a server and a client (such as the Internet) has prevented these marketing tools from being used to their full potential. Since HTTP or Web servers cannot automatically determine the amount of time and the frequency at which particular users interact with their resources, Web site administrators and advertisers cannot accurately determine the effectiveness of their resources. Since servers cannot automatically monitor user interaction and automatically obtain user preferences and interests, servers cannot assemble and serve resources targeted to individual user interests.
In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for tracking the use and interaction of a user with a resource downloaded from a server on a network by use of a tracking program embedded in the resource and executable by a client. Another object of the present invention is to transmit the tracking information from a client to another computer connected to the network for storage and analysis.
Still another object of the present invention is to create a database of server resources including, but not limited to, the number of times a resource has been displayed by clients, the amount of time displayed, and the type and amount of information that was displayed or transferred. This information could be used by network administrators or servers to analyze the effectiveness of the resources made available on their network servers.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide means for creating a database of user profiles for use by advertisers and/or marketers to determine the effectiveness and value of network-based advertisements and/or marketing resources.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide means for creating a database of user profiles containing details of individual user interaction with and use of network resources including, for example, Network IDs (known as xe2x80x9cIP addressxe2x80x9d) and client IDs (known as xe2x80x9ccookiesxe2x80x9d) that have accessed particular resources, the amount of time spent by users interacting with and/or using particular resources, and details of choices created by individual users within a particular resource.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide means for assembling a resource, such as a Web page or a highly targeted ad banner, in accordance with a historic user profile.
In order to achieve the above-described and other objects and advantages, a tracking program is embedded in a file which is downloaded from a server to a client. The tracking program need not originate from the same server that sent the file, and may be obtained, for example, via an embedded URL that points to a different server. The tracking program may be part of a larger program that performs other operations (such as displaying animations, playing sounds, etc.) The tracking program is downloaded from a server and runs on the client to monitor various indicia, such as elapsed time, mouse events, keyboard events, and the like, in order to track the user""s interaction with and use of the file or to monitor choices (such as selections or links to other resources or files) made by the user while within the file. The tracking program may also monitor the amount of data downloaded by the client. Operation of the tracking program commences after the program is downloaded and any required initialization occurs.
After monitoring the user""s interaction with and use of the file downloaded from the server, the tracking program then automatically sends the information acquired from the client back to a server for storage and analysis. The information may be sent before or as the client exits the file, or may be sent in response to a predetermined user action. The information preferably includes any available client or network IDs.
The acquired information is preferably stored on a server and used to build historical profiles of individual users, to serve out highly targeted information based upon user profiles, as well as to extract information about how much data was downloaded by a respective client, and how long or how often specific files were displayed or in use by the client.
Preferably, the tracking program is implemented in a network based upon the client/server model, and may be implemented in a public network such as the Internet or World Wide Web. The tracking program may monitor use of and interaction with any of the resources downloaded from a server, including an executable program, a database file, an interactive game, a multimedia application, and the like. In the case of the Internet, for example, the tracked resource may, for example, be a file such as a Web page or part of a Web page (such as an ad banner).
In one embodiment of the present invention, the tracking program is embedded in an HTML document (such as a Web site, a Web page, or part of a Web page-e.g. an xe2x80x9cad bannerxe2x80x9d). A TCP/IP connection is used by a client to pass a request for the HTML document. The HTML document is stored in a server running an HTTP service and contains text and one or more first embedded URLs for pointing to one or more graphical images located on a server, the images being embedded inside the HTML document using an HTML  less than IMG greater than  tag to specify the source URL for an image. The HTML document also contains a second embedded URL for pointing to a first executable program that runs on a server, the first executable program being embedded inside the HTML document using an HTML  less than IMG greater than  tag to specify the source URL for the program. A second executable program is also embedded in the HTML document by using a third URL for pointing to the second executable program. Unlike the first executable program, the second executable program is downloaded and runs on the client. The second executable program is embedded using the proper HTML tag to indicate that it is a program that is executable on the client.
After the HTML document is downloaded to the client, the graphical images are fetched using a TCP/IP connection to server resources specified by the one or more first URLs. In attempting to fetch the resource associated with the first executable program, the client causes the program to run on the server specified by the second URL. Upon execution of the first executable program, the server captures identifying indicia from the client, such as any network or client IDs resident in the HTTP request header sent by the client. The server stores this information in a client profile database.
The client also fetches the second executable program, which is the tracking program. The tracking program downloads to the client, and, after performing any required initialization, determines the current time. The tracking program also determines the current time upon the performance of a predetermined operation on the client computer by a user, such as leaving the HTML document. After calculating the amount of time the user interacted with and displayed the HTML document, i.e., by determining the difference in time values, the tracking program uploads the calculated value to the server for storage in the user profile database.